CHENNAI: Listening to people in mental distress using a humane approach with patience and trying to understand what the person has to say and tolerating uncertainty are some of the core principles of open dialogue, said David Mosse, professor of social anthropology at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
David Mosse was delivering a lecture on ‘Open dialogue as a response to the crisis and suicidal distress-working with vulnerable and marginalised people’ at the Madras School of Social Works on Thursday.
“Open dialogue is a non-diagnostic approach to psychiatric issues. It starts with defining problems in the terms of labelling symptoms. Key principles of open dialogue include the participation of friends, and family and responding to the person in crisis. An open dialogue should engage family, friends, relatives and the networking system in discussion in the crisis of a person, and their different points of view should be taken into account,” said David.
“The dialogue should reduce hospital admissions and it deviates from the professional approach of people who treat mental health issues. In an open dialogue approach the practitioners should be trained in handling the person in crisis,” added David.
“Open dialogue should be more of a human approach rather than therapeutic. The practitioners should be able to maintain the relationship with the person in crisis,” David said.